The sun’s out, lows are still above 30 degrees, and the humidity’s creeping back so this can only mean one thing: We’re in the home stretch. Summer’s just around the corner, which means this academic year is nearly over. For me, and a bunch of other Collegiettes, this marks a pretty momentous occasion. We’ve (basically) survived freshman year! Every upperclassmen I’ve ever talked to says live it up, and hopefully that’s what everyone’s been doing.
However, I had quite a different idea of how college would be thanks to the seemingly smart advice given to me by literally everyone (great aunt, whoever) about what my freshman year would be like. So many expectations… So little truth. That’s okay though, because I wouldn’t change a single thing about my freshman year at UMass! So here’s a list of advice-based expectations and their realities that I’m sure everyone, freshmen and upperclassmen alike, can find truth in.
1. “Don’t rely on coffee to keep you awake.”
Reality: Is there crack in this because I can’t stop, help my hands are shaking…
2. “Keep up a gym routine.”
Reality: LOL no.
3. “College is practice for the real world.”
Reality: Is it though…
4. “Making friends is easy if you just be yourself!”
Reality: Hello, my name is awkward.
5. “Take classes that could help you figure out what you want to do in life.”
Reality: I have different goals than most people.
6. “Start studying a week or two in advance for exams.”
Reality: *the night before*
7. “Join clubs that really fit your interests!”
Reality: Their shirt has skydiving on it though…
8. “Most students don’t drink on weekdays.”
Reality: buuuuuuuut… Thursday isn’t really a weekday.
9. “TA’s can really help you learn the material.”
Reality: That was a joke, right?
10. “You should really wash your sheets once every two weeks.”
Reality: Once a semester at best.
11. “GenEds are never hard.”
Reality: STOP.
12. “I was always so productive Sunday mornings!”
Reality: *me at 5pm on Sundays*
13. “Try and go to every one of the big lectures.”
Reality: Haha about that…
14. “Start the semester strong!”
Reality: First day of classes like…
15. “You never know who you might meet at a party!”
Reality: Yes, yes I do.
16. “You’ll be fine on the limited meal plan.”
Reality: Two months into the semester…
17. “There’s so much to do in a college town!”
Reality: You’ve watched too many movies…
18. “Just get meals with people from class, easiest way to make friends!”
Reality: or…
19. “If you get organized early on, the semester will be so much easier.”
Reality: By week 2…
20. “Freshmen year flies by, make the most of it.”
Reality: The idea of me leaving got me feeling some type of way…
Cheers Collegiettes, even with the bad advice we got we still survived and loved every second of it!
All GIFs found here.